In automation technology, in particular in process automation technology and factory automation technology, control units serving to detect and/or modify process variables are frequently used. Used for detecting process variables are sensors, such as fill level measuring devices, flow meters, pressure and temperature measuring devices, pH-redox potential measuring devices, conductivity measuring devices, etc., which detect the relevant process variables, such as fill level, flow, pressure, temperature, pH level, and conductivity. Actuators, such as valves or pumps, are used to influence process variables. The flow rate of a fluid in a pipeline section or the fill level in a container can be changed by means of actuators. One type of control units are so-called field devices, which in principle refer to all devices which are used close to the process and which supply or process process-related information. In the context of the present disclosure, control units also refer to remote I/Os, radio adapters, and/or, in general, devices that are arranged at the field level, for example. A plurality of such control units, which have different dimensions, is manufactured and sold by the patent applicant.
A plurality of protective housings or protective roofs for control units for protection against solar radiation, soiling, weather influences, theft, vandalism, etc. are already known from the prior art. A generic protective housing is disclosed, for example, in DE 10 2012 102 889 A1.
However, these protective housings or protective roofs known from the prior art have the disadvantage that they are designed for a particular control unit with specific dimensions. For a manufacturer offering a plurality of protective housings in their portfolio, these individually designed protective housings create high costs for the design, production and storage of these many different protective housings.
In order to reduce the cost of designing, manufacturing, and storing individual protective housings, a protective housing designed for a control unit with large dimensions may, of course, also be used for a control unit with comparatively small dimensions. However, this is associated with a high space requirement at the predetermined point of use of the protective housing at the user, during storage and during transport from the manufacturer to the user.